Feather-filled bedding article

ABSTRACT

The bedding article includes top and bottom fabric layers, and supple, flexible felt layers below the upper fabric layer and above the lower fabric layers, having a weight in the range of 50 gsm to 150 gsm. Inner fabric layers are positioned between the felt layers, defining an interior chamber for feathers. A baffle and gusset structure can be included in the article, in which case a lower inner fabric layer and lower felt layer are not necessary. The interior of the pillow is filled with feathers.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates generally to feather-filled bedding articles, including pillows, comforters, featherbeds and the like, and more specifically concerns such a bedding article which includes user protection against feather quills.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bedding articles, such as pillows for instance, but others as well, using feathers for fill are popular; they have the advantage of low cost relative to down fill and yet have potentially the same flexibility and suppleness as down-filled pillows. However, feather-filled pillows have the disadvantage of discomfort from the feather quills making contact with the user, through the pillow shells and other fabric layers. Further, normal movement of the pillow or the user on the pillow during use creates noise as the feathers move, which can be a disadvantage for some users.

The primary means currently of overcoming these disadvantages is the use of a polyester batting layer with a quilted construction binding the upper and lower fabric layers, respectively, of bedding articles such as pillows. In other bedding articles, just the upper layers are quilted, since the article is always in one orientation, such as a feather bed. However, this construction, while generally overcoming the discomfort caused by the quills, has its own disadvantages, as the article tends to become stiff, losing the normal fluid feeling or adjustability of a feather-filled article. The article seems to have a stiff platform as opposed to an adjustable, fluid-like feeling. Hence, it is desirable to have a feather-filled article, such as a pillow, with a construction which has a barrier function for feather quills, but which maintains the natural suppleness and adjustability of a feather or down-filled pillow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the feather-filled, non-quilted bedding article, comprises: a top fabric layer; a supple, flexible polyester or wool felt layer below the top fabric layer, the felt having a weight in the range of 50 gsm to 150 gsm; an upper inner lining fabric layer providing protection for a user against feather quills; a baffle assembly or no baffle assembly; and a bottom fabric layer, wherein feathers are located within the baffle assembly when a baffle assembly is present, wherein when no baffle assembly is present, the article includes a lower inner lining fabric layer and a supple, flexible polyester or wool felt layer above the bottom fabric layer and wherein feathers are located between the upper and lower inner lining fabric layers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pillow having the construction of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pillow shell for the pillow of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the construction of the pillow of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a featherbed with the construction of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the featherbed of FIG. 4.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a bedding article, for instance a pillow, which is feather-filled, as opposed, for instance, to down filled or polyester filled. The present bedding article has a construction which protects the user against feather quills, and yet retains the natural suppleness and adjustability of feathers or down as fill, without the use of quilting in the construction for quill protection.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pillow generally at 10 which is feather-filled and non-quilted. The pillow includes a top fabric layer 12 and a bottom fabric layer 14, often referred to together as a pillow shell. The interior of the pillow is filled with feathers 16. The feathers 16 have the conventional feather quills, which are uncomfortable for the user, if there is no barrier within the pillow. The feathers have been processed in conventional steps to produce an appropriate fill for a pillow or other article to be used by humans. These steps include sorting, washing and drying. The pillow can have various sizes and configurations, including the typical standard, queen and king sized, as well as other specialty sizes and configurations.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pillow shell while FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the pillow of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 shows a top fabric 20, which can be of various conventional pillow shell materials, including polyester and cotton and blends thereof. The top layer is typically 150-400 thread count with a fabric weight in the range of 100 gsm-160 gsm. In some cases, the top fabric can be finished with a soft hand finish, to produce a super soft finish. Brushed and non-brushed fabrics can be used. The fabric can also be treated to be “leak proof”. In this present arrangement, the top layer of the pillow is quite soft, with a unique feel. However, this treatment is not a necessary a part of the preferred embodiment of the invention. In the case of a pillow, the characteristics of fabric layer 20 are true for the bottom fabric layer 22.

Positioned adjacent the top fabric layer and the bottom fabric layers, respectively, are layers 24 and 26 of poly felt material. The two layers of poly felt are important for the present invention. The felt layer is typically 100% polyester with a weight of between 50 gsm to 150 gsm, with approximately 100 being preferred. In the embodiment shown, the felt has a needle punch construction which creates a felt product without the use of water. While there are many different types of felt using various natural or synthetic fibers, the present polyester felt layers 24 and 26 are soft and supple while still heavy enough to act as a barrier to the quills. In needle punch felting, special needles are used in felting machines which in operation grab the top layer of the fibers, entangling them with the inner layer of fibers as the needle enters the polyester fibers. The tangles and compressed fibers with the needle punch process results in a strong yet supple and soft felt material. The resulting felt layer provides the required superior quill barrier because of its density characteristics, while retaining suppleness for maintaining adjustability of the pillow. The same characteristics are true for both felt layers 24 and 26. The pillow has in addition two inner lining layers 30 and 32 with upper inner liner layer 30 being adjacent the upper felt layer 24 and bottom or lower inner lining layer 32 being adjacent the poly felt layer 26. These layers can be standard woven polyester or cotton fabrics or non-woven fabrics.

In the embodiment shown, the six layers are sewn or otherwise attached together around the peripheries thereof, leaving an opening 34 (FIG. 2) for the feather fill 16, positioned between the lining layers 30 and 32.

The result as explained above is a pillow which retains the natural suppleness and adjustability of feathers or down, while providing superior barrier protection against quills and the noise of feathers during adjustment. The present invention thus makes possible a less expensive feather pillow without any of the disadvantages of conventional feather-filled pillows.

A comforter article will have a substantially identical construction, with top and bottom fabric layers, adjacent felt layers and top and bottom inner lining fabric layers. Feather fill is positioned between the top and bottom inner lining layers.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of yet another bedding article, namely a featherbed incorporating the present invention. The featherbed shown generally at 40 includes a top fabric 42 and a back fabric 44 separated by a baffle structure and a gusset 46. The featherbed is divided into a number of baffle boxes 47 defined by a baffle structure which is shown in more detail in FIG. 5.

The featherbed can be of various dimensions, for instance standard, queen and king size beds, as well as other bed sizes. The featherbed 40 shown in FIG. 4 includes two blow openings 48 and 50 through which feather fill is blown into the featherbed. The baffle structure is only one example of a featherbed construction. Other arrangements can be used, including different baffle structures, as well as sewn through construction. The baffle structure shown, however, permits a convenient filling of the featherbed. FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the featherbed of FIG. 4. In FIG. 5, the top fabric layer has the same characteristics as the top fabric of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3. Further, the poly felt layer 54 has the same detailed characteristics as the poly felt layer in FIG. 2. The inner lining fabric 56 has the same characteristics as the inner lining fabric layer in FIG. 2. The baffles 58-58 are a series of elements having a particular structural pattern, forming boxes, with openings about two longitudinal baffles 59, 61 for fill. The featherbed further includes a gusset 60 and a back fabric layer 62.

As explained above, the present invention includes a plurality of layers of material forming a bedding article, for instance the pillow of FIGS. 1-3. The interior of the pillow is filled with feathers with quills but may include some down, as well. A majority of the fill in such cases, however, 80-90%, is feathers, with the feathers being bounded by top and bottom inner lining fabric layers followed by felt layers, which provide the barrier against quills while retaining the suppleness and adjustability provided by feathers or down, with the outer layers of the shell being conventional fabrics.

Although a preferred embodiment or the invention has been disclosed for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims which follow: 

What is claimed is:
 1. A feather-filled, non-quilted bedding article, comprising: a top fabric layer; a supple, flexible polyester or wool felt layer below the top fabric layer, the felt having a weight in the range of 50 gsm to 150 gsm; an upper inner lining fabric layer providing protection for a user against feather quills; a baffle assembly or no baffle assembly; and a bottom fabric layer, wherein feathers are located within the baffle assembly when a baffle assembly is present, wherein when no baffle assembly is present, the article includes a lower inner lining fabric layer and a supple, flexible polyester or wool felt layer above the bottom fabric layer and wherein feathers are located between the upper and lower inner lining fabric layers.
 2. The bedding article of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom fabric layers form the shell of a pillow.
 3. The bedding article of claim 1, wherein the felt layer or layers are needle punched felting and the weight is approximately 100 gsm.
 4. The bedding article of claim 1, wherein the top and bottom fabric layers are polyester material which has a hand finish to enhance softness. 